What exactly did he do that was a shuffle in the right direction? Did this administration not break spending records?
This is an extreme analogy (but then again you called our economic crash a "slump" so I don't think you'll mind) to help you understand:
Let's say there is a serial killer on the loose much like the sniper in D.C. a few years back. Let's say that he's going on his rampage, doin what serial killers do, and hasn't been caught. He then gets in contact with the police department and tells them he'll stop. He hasn't turned himself in, but he says he'll stop. Now, if I look at this and say, "holy crap, this dude's still on the loose!" am I a cynic? Is the appropriate response, "finally...a shuffle in the right direction"?